What began as a small grassroots, community-oriented project along 118th (Alberta) Avenue has turned into a three-day multi-disciplinary event geared to bringing art experiences to a wide audience, to celebrate the neighbourhood and attract the city at large.

Art and entertainment will literally be drifting off the rooftops, out of the alleys and hanging on the lampposts this Friday to Sunday. More than 200 acts or activities are booked at a dozen venues and on the street itself. To facilitate events, 118th Avenue will be closed to traffic between 94 and 91 streets, from 3 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Sunday.

More than half of the acts involve music and/or dance, with all sorts of visual arts, theatre, movies, poetry and rap, crafts and public participation through the festival’s workshops or arts labs. You can learn to make paper or some new dance steps or join in on a flash mob. There’s even an installation challenge, featuring new, original constructions to be built on a series of three-metre-by-three metre sites.

“The whole idea was to bring Edmonton into a neighbourhood where the artists live, work and create, to invite people right to our front porch,” explains Kaleido’s artistic director Christy Morin.

As a mother of two herself, Morin wanted family involvement to be paramount, and many events like the Lantern Parade are set up specifically to involve youngsters.

“Part of the whole premise was to make it a multi-generational shared experience. There are a few more mature-oriented theatre and music acts this year — like Chris Craddock’s Moving Along theatre piece, or the Bernard Boisvert baroque music gallery — but there are a lot of kid-friendly acts too.”

You can catch just about every style of music imaginable from baroque harpsichord, flute and cello (Judy Loewen, Bill Damur, Josephine van Lier), to big band (Trocadero Orchestra, C-Jam Big Band), to singer-songwriters (Terry Morrison, Kevin Cook, Dale Ladouceur), and ethnic music flavours from around the globe (Souljah Fyah, Kita No Taiko, Asani, Isokan Africa) along with a few pop acts. Hip-hop and electronica are in the mix too.

On the dance side, take in ensembles like Shumka, Citie Ballet, the Asian traditions of Xiao Hai Ou Dance, or Brazilian Capoeira with Adje among others. Don’s Grand Piano Garden, the site for swing and big band sounds hosted by Jan Randall, also plays host to a beer garden.

With each year, Morin, the festival organizers and 150-plus volunteers can take more satisfaction in how Kaleido has become an integral part in the movement to help revitalize the community.

“We didn’t really have any idea of how the arts can bring change and transformation but that has been a delightful byproduct of what we intended. It’s also a really organic festival. People are coming to us or sending us emails with some of the ideas and we’re just helping to make them happen.”

Many of the shows are an hour in length. All of it comes with a pay-what-you-can admission ethic.

“Some people can’t afford to go to the ballet, but here they can at least catch a 15-minute performance from Citie Ballet. We encourage people to bring money for the artists, but it’s about exposing everyone to the arts.

When Morin and her husband bought a house in the neighbourhood 18 years ago with the idea of fixing it up and flipping it, she never guessed she would wind up staying and getting so involved in the community. Eight years ago, she was a drama artist-in-residence with the public school system when the idea of Kaleido began germinating during the artist get-togethers she was having in her home. The first Kaleido Fesitval was on the October (Thanksgiving) long weekend in 2005.

Now the festival begins booking a year ahead. About 95 per cent of the acts are local performers, but there are a few outside acts this time, like Montreal’s Kalabante Aerialist Acrobatics and two Vancouver bands, Said the Whale for the Friday night kickoff on the outdoor stage and The Boom Booms on Sunday.

In case of bad weather, there is a rainout plan. While some street events would be compromised, most shows would be moved indoors to the Avenue Theatre and other galleries.

PREVIEW

Kaleido Family Arts Festival

Where: 118th (Alberta) Avenue, between 90 and 94 streets

When: Friday, Sept. 7, through Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012

Admission: free or pay-what-you-can

Website: artsontheave.org/festivals/kaleido

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